Police use social media to inform, investigate

Thursday

Social media aren’t just a way for people to pass time or a free form of advertising. They’ve become a way for law enforcement to reach out to the community and to conduct investigations.

At least two local police departments — Beaver and Franklin Township — have signed up for Twitter accounts along with some volunteer fire departments. Twitter users post messages of 140 or fewer characters for followers to read.

One police department that has made frequent use of the site is Franklin Township.

Sgt. Brian Speer said police were discussing with township supervisors how to get more information out to the public, and they decided to give Twitter a try.

“We’re doing well getting stuff out there,” Speer said. He said he’s been using the site to put out news as well as public safety tips.

Speer, who is responsible for writing the department’s tweets, said so far he’s gotten positive feedback on the effort. “I had a resident who came in and shook my hand and thanked me for the information,” he said.

That’s not to say the new tool hasn’t had a glitch.

Speer said the department has had a few

problems with people trying to report immediate public safety issues via Twitter and stressed that people should not use Twitter to make reports.

The department cannot monitor its Twitter account 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and police often need more information than can be provided in a tweet. Speer said anyone who needs police assistance or has a public safety concern should call 911.

While people cannot make reports to the police via text message and social media just yet, Beaver County Emergency Services Director Wes Hill said the technology is evolving to the point that it will be possible.

Hill said the next generation of 911 technology will allow dispatchers to monitor social media sites and take reports via text message. Exactly when that technology will be available in Beaver County is unclear, he said.

Though the 911 center does not have a Twitter account, someone has set up a site revolving around the emergency services calls that go out over scanners. For example, on Feb. 4 the account holder tweeted that firefighters were responding to heavy smoke in the area of 115 Dano Drive in Ohioville.

Hill said that Twitter account is not affiliated with the county.

Investigations

Beaver County District Attorney Anthony Berosh said authorities use social media such as chat rooms, Facebook and Twitter for investigations.

“It’s amazing what people say on those things,” Berosh said. He said sometimes people make what he calls “virtual confessions” on social media sites.

If someone goes missing, often one of the first places investigators look is Facebook, Berosh said. He said they look to learn about the missing person and see whether there was any indication of what was going on in that individual’s life that could have contributed to the disappearance.

Social media also have led to arrests. In October, the Penn State-Beaver campus was shut down after police said threats that referenced the Virginia Tech shootings were made against the campus via Twitter. Police said the Twitter account belong to Michael Mollett, 21, of Pittsburgh. Police subsequently arrested him and used Mollett’s Twitter messages in a preliminary hearing. Mollett is scheduled for trial in March. However, there is a bench warrant out for his arrest because he failed to show for a court date in December.

Social media also have been a very effective in hunting down sexual predators, Berosh said.

With the evolution of technology, sexual predators have taken to sites such as Facebook to find potential victims. But investigators also have been able to use those sites and chat rooms to identify potential predators.

Also, the Federal Bureau of Investigations teaches local police how to investigate cases using computers and how to preserve evidence.

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